Our approach

Each sub-sector identified below has common and individual drivers, challenges, risks, business structures and resources when it comes to workplace health and safety. In collaboration with industry partners and key stakeholders, we will develop tailored sub-sector initiatives to address the key harms identified, with an emphasis on how they commonly arise in that sub-sector and how they can be reduced.

Infrastructure

Mid/high rise

Housing

Asbestos and demolition

Priority harms

Falls from heights

off plant

Electrical

Moving plant

Falling objects

Musculoskeletal disorders

Falls from heights

scaffold

penetrations

formwork

Electrical

Falling objects

Falls from heights

voids and edges

roofs

ladders

Structural collapse

Electrical

Demolition:

falls from heights

falling/flying objects

electrical

structural collapse

Priority health harms

Crystalline Silica exposure

tunnelling and cutting

Mental Health

Fatigue

Crystalline Silica exposure – cutting, grinding and breaking

Mental Health

Fatigue

Crystalline Silica exposure – cutting, grinding and breaking

Asbestos exposure

Crystalline Silica

cutting, grindingand breaking

demolition dust

We will integrate strong and robust training and assessment processes for high risk work licences and provide exemplar services by cutting red-tape, making safety simpler, and producing communications and publications in plain language.

High-risk workplaces

Consultation with industry revealed a strong desire to create a fair and level playing field, with tougher scrutiny and sanctions for those who flout work health and safety laws.

Our high-risk workplace strategy will focus on workplaces that undertake high risk activities and those businesses that continuously disregard worker safety. These workplaces can expect greater scrutiny from SafeWork NSW with increased visits by inspectors and, where necessary, an increase in compliance actions and severity of penalties until compliance is achieved.

High risk work licensing

Work requiring a high risk work (HRW) licence is inherently dangerous and requires knowledgeable, skilled and competent workers to undertake it safely. We will work actively with other national WHS regulators and industry stakeholders to improve the integrity of HRW licence training and assessment activities. This will ensure the safety of workers and provide industry and the community with confidence that only appropriately trained workers are authorised.